Author: June

We already heard that Bournemouth have been busy preparing to host the Air Festival this year. Now the news is that BCP Council are planning Festival Coast Live for as early as May. The event will be made up of a series of outdoor activities showcasing professional and community artists, musicians and dance groups who will be performing at pop up experiences. There will also be a celebration of food, culture, heritage, health & fitness, wellbeing and lifestyle. Nice to have something to look forward to in the not too distant future. Bring it on, I say.

In the meantime Boscombe will receive £21.7 million grant, announced in this week’s budget, to refurbish and regenerate the area. There have long been plans to bring the area back to life and the newish Sovereign Centre will disappear but the lovely old Royal Arcade and Royal ballroom will feature at the centre of the project. Let’s hope the money ends up in the right pockets. Bournemouth does not have a good reputation on this score. The government, of course, has been accused of choosing mainly conservative run councils as recipients of these town grants.

In West Sussex thieves have been busy overnight. Residents and workers were surprised to see that about 50 expensive Yorkshire stone slabs were stolen from a library car park. In fact a whole pavement was left bare and the local police were left scratching their heads wondering where they might have gone. Someone is going to have a nice new patio area for their summer barbecue.

The budget also granted nurses a 1% pay rise. I googled to see how much a nurse earns on average and found it to be about £33,000. This means that the pay rise would be £330 a year. Take into account potential increases in things like fuel, car parking and food and take off tax to be paid back to the government. There isn’t much left. Just saying.

A Spanish woman aged 64 gave birth to twins following ‘assisted reproduction’ in the US. Supposedly the treatment was not available in her own country. One has to wonder why it would be allowed anywhere but could it be about money? Once back in Spain where she gave birth the babies were removed from her care by social services as they were considered vulnerable. She has an 11 year old daughter already who was also taken into care and is living happily with relatives in Canada. The Spanish courts will allow her to appeal every two years but they don’t predict a different outcome. What a sad situation.

I’ve just finished reading an excellent novel called The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. A story about an American family who moved into a beautiful house that had been built and originally owned by a Dutch family in Philadelphia. The characters are so believable and wonderfully characterised. There’s no real mystery, just what happens when people are faced with life and life’s happenings. I hate it when I finish a good book, I now have to find another,  Hey, let’s be careful out there.  💤😴 😴💤

 

Captain Tom was today given the send off he deserved. Six Yorkshire regiment members carried his coffin draped in a union jack and a guard of honour fired three volleys. It might not have been the funeral it would have been in other, non Covid, times but then had it not been for the pandemic this ‘veteran and a gentleman’ would not have started walking around his garden and thereby raised £33 million for the NHS. There was a fly past by a world war two-era plane and the queen sent a wreath made up of 100 white roses. A fitting tribute for a 100 year old man who inspired a nation.

I had a lovely walk through Bournemouth gardens today and then along the pier. Amazing how many people were in the water, although I should add it was mostly kids or surfers neither of whom seem to notice it was cold. The sun was shining, beautiful blue sky and everyone looked pretty happy. Yesterday, another gorgeous day, I trotted around Compton Acres with my friend Joyce. Not too busy and there were quite a few winter and spring flowers in bloom. Such a lovely place and we bumped into a couple of friends there. Funny how we always seem to know people when I visit these gardens.

I watched Prince Harry taking an open top bus ride with James Corden. I don’t know if the chatter was supposed to appear spontaneous but it seemed to me that they were working from a rehearsed script. Harry asking to use the toilet when they were visiting the Prince of Bel Air house and James’ stilted phone conversation to Meghan. Then the assault course which supposedly saw the prince crawling through mud under a net and coming out the other side sparkling clean, just like a washing powder advert. His face was hidden under a baseball cap so I’m putting it to you, was it Harry or was it his stunt man? I know what I think.

If you were driving along the M5, M4 or M32 on Saturday you might have been surprised to see a Boeing 727 in front of you. The plane was being upcycled into office space and being hauled from Gloucestershire to Bristol. The plane had taken its last flight in 2012 so no doubt the buyers got it for a good price. You normally have to pay to have your rubbish removed so maybe the purchasers just offered to take it away.

A woman in Romford, Essex was mystified when three (yes, that’s right, three) council workers turned up at her one bedroom flat to demand that she remove her doormat. It was Havering council – I’m sure that’s my cousin Angela’s council – who said she would be fined if she didn’t remove the ‘tripping’ hazard. I have to agree with the tenant who said that surely these three workers could find something better to do with their time and tax payers’ money than worry about door mats. Hey people, let’s be careful out there.💤😴😴💤

 

I think everyone in the UK , except me, watched the PM give his ‘Coronavirus Roadmap’ update yesterday. I really can’t be doing with listening to them droning on when I can just get the headlines soon after from one of the news channels or online. Did it become clear? I’m afraid not. One of the first things to be allowed is two people meeting outside and maybe having a picnic. I can tell the PM that this is already happening, just go down to Bournemouth seafront and take a look. Even Harry Ramsden’s Fish & Chips is serving takeaways. and there are also plenty of small groups hanging out together.  Can we get a hair cut? not until April 12th, still that’s in time for my birthday and I just might have had my second jab by then. I tried to find the small detail anywhere on the internet but I don’t think anyone’s managed to work it out yet. The most irritating rule of all is that at the same time that only two households can meet indoors – May 17 – 1,000 people can go to an indoor sports venue. I think that’s where we should have our family reunion this year. My three children, five stepchildren and 21 grandchildren plus a few great grandchildren will fit in nicely. Can’t stay overnight though. Oh well….

Did you watch ‘It’s a Sin’, I did binge watch on iplayer and thought it was excellent. A shameful time yet again in our history brilliantly depicted on tv. Thank goodness the right medicine was found.  I also watched last night Bohemian Rhapsody. I’ve seen it in the cinema but thoroughly enjoyed it again from my sofa.  I also recently watched a couple of episodes of Monty Don’s American Gardens. I’m not a gardener by any stretch of the imagination but I loved his trip around the US showing us gardens in the desert, swamps, coast and urban settings. He said that all you need is a lot of imagination, most of the ones he showed us needed rather a lot of money too.

I’ve just read that they are removing the old canopy outside The Arcade in Bournemouth town centre. That’s a shame but it seems that it’s badly corroded and could be dangerous. Now I’ve often thought that it or something like it needs to be extended. With the weather we get here it would make a great place to have a few tables and chairs where we could get a coffee continental style. The area is already pedestrianised so why not go one step further. I’m definitely needed in the ideas department down at the town hall.

Our MPs are calling on BoJo to give the nation a bank holiday to celebrate the end of lockdown (always supposing that it happens) at the end of June. Are they joking? The last year has been one long national ‘not working day’ perhaps he should take away a bank holiday and let people work. And, just a thought, it’s time we stopped calling it bank holiday, doesn’t make sense any more, does it? Hey people, let’s be careful out there.  😴💤💤😴

 

Most of Britain seems to be waiting for the PM’s Covid lockdown update on Monday. Being holed up during the winter months has been much worse than when isolation started. The weather has kept many people indoors and as the days creep into weeks we are all hoping that the vaccine will allow  more freedom. Personally I can manage without travel plans but I would like to get back to meeting up with friends and family and just wandering around doing whatever I feel like doing.

Now some people have been doing just that. The police have been kept busy raiding illegal parties where large groups of people have been gathering as if there was no pandemic. In Birmingham police stormed a birthday party being hosted in a soundproof room. There was a DJ, disco lights, beer, birthday cake and class A drugs. It wold seem that they were breaking more than coronavirus rules. About 50 guests were fined while the organiser was arrested for refusing to give their details. Lock ’em up, I say.

Also in Birmingham police knocked on another door where they suspected a party was happening, The owner answered the door in her dressing gown saying she was in bed. The officers weren’t daft and asked her if she always slept in her tights and wearing false eyelashes and earrings. The partygoers were told they could avoid a fine if they left immediately. Three people were arrested though for assaulting two of the officers. The party had been live streamed on social media which had alerted the police. You just couldn’t make this stuff up.

Over the pond the weather is causing havoc in many southern states. The POTUS has declared a state of emergency in Texas which has been hit by freezing temperatures, snow and loss of power and water. An area which is rich in oil and gas has been left without any means to heat their houses or to cook and the water supply has been cut off as well. I can’t imagine what it’s like but reports say that several people have died in road accidents, from hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning while trying to keep warm.  I hope that they get back to normal soon.

The Sussexes are in the news again as they have been stripped of their honorary titles and patronages and aren’t happy. Why don’t they just get on with their freedom which is all they supposedly wanted.

In Alaska a woman was bitten on her bum by a bear while using an outhouse toilet. She sat down and immediately felt something bite her at which point she screamed and her brother came running with a torch. He found a bear with its head down the toilet, presumably having a drink. She only had a minor injury but they decided to leave the following day when they found bear prints all around. I always knew all that camping stuff was dangerous. Hey people, let’s be careful out there.  💤😴 😴💤

 

 

Did you eat pancakes and more importantly, did you make pancakes? I did neither and I do love a good homemade pancake, maybe I’ll treat myself at the weekend. My daughter Elena invited me over for pancake elevenses, lovely Alice was planning on making a healthy version of the Shrove Tuesday treat. Sod’s law said that I already had an invite this morning and I had a great couple of hours out shopping with daughter Sam. We went to have a look around The Range at Turbary Retail Park. Hadn’t been there for a long, long time and it seemed much better organised than previously. You wouldn’t have known we were in lockdown and we couldn’t work out why they were open and selling everything and anything when other retailers can’t. Life in lockdown is a complete mystery to yours truly.

A wealthy North Carolina Financier and Trump supporter donated $2 million to a small Texas organisation called ‘True the Vote’ who said they could prove there had been voter fraud during the US elections. Two weeks later the financier demanded his money back saying their claims were nothing more than baloney. He has now filed a lawsuit against True the Vote. The 2020 election saga looks like rumbling on for a long time yet.

The Megxit saga is another one that is rumbling on. They won their case against the Daily Mail, that’s ok I really didn’t care one way or another.  They announced that they are expecting a second child and released a corny photo of the two lying under a tree with Harry’s bare feet the main feature and Miss Meghan holding her bump in a typical Hollywood pose. As they are against media harassment and just want to live a private life they have agreed to do an Oprah interview. That’s definitely private. It’s only 90 minutes though. I think I would begin to lose the will to live after the first fifteen. They are sooooo boring.

In Hungary, just outside of Budapest, there is a supermarket that seems to be run by a romantic. In the run up to Valentine’s Day they decided to encourage single shoppers to find a partner in their store. They had two piles of baskets, one pink and one blue. The idea was that if singles were looking for a female partner they carried a pink basket, if their choice was a male partner they went for the blue one. Customers could eye up the ‘stock’ as they shopped. They didn’t let on as to how many people were successful.

Have you been feeling the cold, don’t worry, there’s a heatwave just around the corner. By the weekend the temperature is expected to rise, the sun will put its hat on and shine and we will all forget that we’ve just had some of the coldest weather in a long time. I can’t wait to get out and take a leisurely stroll to the beach. Let’s not forget that we’re still in lockdown though. And people, let’s be careful out there.💤😴💤

I was wanting to write something here an hour ago but, the internet went down. Not sure why but quite often I lose connection at this time of day. Just did the old reboot thing for the third time and it’s come back. I’ll try to type fast, just in case.

The news today of course is that the Trump won his impeachment which was what everyone expected and doesn’t say too much for politicians. All the democrats voted to convict him and so did seven republicans. 57 for guilty and 43 for not guilty but 67 guilty votes were needed to convict him. The charge was inciting a mob to storm the Capitol. Taking into account that he said what he said on social media for the whole world to hear. Also while it was happening he was filmed laughing and cheering as he watched the mob on tv from the White House, it would seem difficult to vote not guilty. That’s politics for you..

Meanwhile, someone is flying over Mar-A-Lago in a private plane trailing a banner which says “Convict Trump and lock him up”. Too late now he got away with it again. It’s said that Melania spends her day in the Spa there and sunbathing. I’m wondering if she’d consider inviting me over, I could do with a bit of sunshine but then I might have to be nice to her hubbie. Just not worth the ten days quarantine.

Our own dodgy politician BoJo said that he’s optimistic about a gradual easing of lockdown. First schools mid March, then retail followed by hospitality. Sounds to me like Easter at least before I can go for lunch with a friend. I honestly can’t bear the thought of it for another two months. Might be free in time for my birthday though and by then I should have received the second jab. Party time.

There are plans to build over 30,000 new homes in dorset by 2038. That would put me in my nineties so I guess I shouldn’t worry. Still the report I read says that 4,000 will be in South East Dorset so I guess that could include Bournemouth. They definitely mention Wimborne, Corfe Mullen, Blandford and further west. There was of course talk some time ago that homes could be built on central car park and on the old cinema site in Westover Road which would probably block my sea view. Not today’s problem so I’ll worry about that another day.

Pigs might fly. A new study from Purdue University in Indiana US shows that pigs can use a digital screen and joystick. We’ll have pigs really flying if we aren’t careful, piloting a Ryanair flight. Researchers say that the four pigs were able to do so ‘to a certain extent’ in return for a treat. My question is, who cares and why? And I wonder how much that cost the tax payer. Hey lovers everywhere, let’s be careful out there.

 

Not many people taking flights or any other form of travel these days. Now it’s been announced that anyone arriving in the UK from Monday will have to quarantine for ten days or face a £10,000 fine. They will be charged £1,750 to stay in a specially selected hotel which will cover one person, their bed and board and testing. An additional person will pay an additional £650. I think you’d have to be desperate to get here if you’re willing to pay that for a mystery hotel stay. Flights between now and Monday will no doubt be sold out. Honestly, I don’t get it, the pandemic’s been raging for a year and they decide to quarantine visitors now when so many of us have been either vaccinated or already had it. Just saying.

A different type of traveller was the teenager who stowed away on a flight from London to Holland. It was a surprise to everyone that the young Kenyan man survived his ordeal as he was hiding in a space next to the landing gear and would have experienced freezing conditions at 19,000 ft. The plane had travelled from Nairobi via Istanbul before arriving in Holland. I’m guessing that the stowaway wasn’t in his final hiding place all that way. The lucky young man was taken to hospital suffering from Hyperthermia.

A mother and daughter found themselves in court this week for starting a drunken brawl on a flight from Manchester to Morocco. The pair refused to sit down and used foul language to the staff and the plane had to be diverted to have them removed. The 57 year old mother received three months in jail and her daughter three months suspended for 12 months. They have both been banned from EasyJet flights for ten years. Lock ’em up I say and for longer.

The Cornish fishermen are fighting back after their trade has been hit by Brexit. Two of their biggest exports are to be rebranded in the hopes of attracting the British market. They’ll probably have to cover it in batter and provide malt vinegar too. The fish in question is Megrim sole and spider crab both of which I’ve purchased and eaten when I lived in Spain and they are very tasty. They will be called Cornish sole and Cornish King crab.

We all know that problems can occur when on zoom reunions of any sort. In Texas all the court case seem to be heard using this method. As one case recently started an attending lawyer had his face covered with a cat filter. His son had been using the computer and left the filter turned on. The judge warned the lawyer, I believe you have a cat filter turned on and you might want to remove it. The lawyer said he had tried but it didn’t work. He added, it’s ok judge I’m here, I’m alive, I’m not a cat and I believe we can continue. Which they did. Hey people let’s be careful out there.☃😴💤😴 ☃

Yes, my grandson Jack reached the ripe old age of 20 today. Sometimes he comes out with remarks that could be made by a thirty year old but mostly he’s just Jack. Not much different from any teenager. I popped in to hand over his birthday card and a bit of cash and received a lovely birthday , thank you hug. His mum and I looked through some old photos of when they were all toddlers, so sweet, and I had a cup of tea and some cake. There was a Colin Caterpillar cake from M&S and a lovely looking iced sponge from his friend. I’ve forgotten her name but I’m sure Jack will bring me up to date. He said she’s not his girlfriend ‘just his besty’. Jack, when Elizabeth reads this, we’re in trouble. Anyway I have to admit to eating my first ever slice of Colin cake (very yummy) and also there were some Percy Pig sweets that I had never eaten either. Had one of those and it was actually very nice too. So, two firsts in one afternoon. Jack’s getting older, I’m definitely getting younger (experience wise).

There was another birthday in Birmingham and they decided to have a party with 24 people. Fourteen adults were fined £800 each for breaking lockdown rules. They were having a BBQ when Police arrived and sent them all packing on top of the hefty fine. Bet they wished they’d stayed at home.

There’s no getting away with it, those Derbyshire coppers are out and about being busy. They caught a couple having a fumble in a Fiat at a beauty spot and slapped a fine on them. Said it wasn’t essential exercise. I’m not sure about that, helps your physical and mental health. Is there no privacy?

Last night some little turds decided to have a party on Mudeford Sandbank. Not your normal sort of party as 30 beach huts were broken into or damaged and three were actually set on fire and completely destroyed. One 15 year old boy has been arrested but there’s no chance he could have done all that on his own. A few people who read this would have been down there with me. I know I took the Knutsford Arthurs and also my two Spanish sisters in law from Madrid. The view will be a little different tomorrow.

Also in Bournemouth, the council are making plans to hold the Air Festival this year. That’s optimistic for them and for us that we might be let free, although we might want to go elsewhere that week. The air show is definitely magnificent but for me was spoilt when they turned the promenade into a funfair and set up beer tents on the beach. It was more or less out of bounds for us locals from a week before. Quite like seeing the planes flying over my balcony though. We’ll miss the red arrows who I believe will not be returning to Bournemouth. Hey people, let’s be careful out there.  ☃️ ❄️ ☃️

Latest news is that anyone arriving or returning from 30 different high risk nations will need to quarantine for 10 days on their arrival. This rule will become effective from 15th February. The rest of us have been in complete lockdown for a month already so why wasn’t this rule enforced at the same time? It seems that just as our lockdown and the massive vaccination programme might be having some effect on the pandemic, visitors could be bringing in a new strain of the virus and will continue to do so for the next 10 days. Same as the first lockdown last March, planes continued to fly in carrying an unknown number of virus carriers. Everyone knew that international travel was the main culprit.

Nobody wants Chris Whitty’s job and that probably includes Chris himself. I’m sure he has been confronted many times by people in the street who feel they could give him some advice and frequently do. This week it’s been the turn of a teenage boy who goaded him while recording on his smart phone. He then posted the incident onto social media and became the recipient of negative comments himself. Mr Whitty who has a string of eminent job titles was asked what he thought of the teenager in an interview. He replied that the boy was probably just showing off and that he would grow up to be a fine young man. The teenager’s mother didn’t agree and made her son record an apology. She also confiscated his playstation. Well done that mum. And well done Chris Whitty.

A married couple have also hit the headlines for swearing on TV. Oh dear, what is the world coming to? It was on last evening’s Grand Design when the couple were on air transforming a derelict 17th century flour mill in Cornwall into a luxury home. Well of course Kevin McCloud was there poking his nose in and giving advice, but it wasn’t his money being spent, was it? Now I haven’t yet seen this episode so I’m going on what I’ve read in the news. Kevin came up with one too many suggestions and the couple told him they had saved many of the original features. The wife added that she didn’t think an outsider was in a position to make a judgement and “really she didn’t give a s**t what he thought”.   About time someone said something to smirking Kevin. I’ll definitely get this on catch up.

A Shropshire cow named Posh Spice has been sold at auction for the highest amount ever paid for a heifer in the UK and possibly in Europe. The farmer owners were more than a little surprised when the amount reached £262,000 which is double the previous record. I have to wonder what VB thought when she found she had a heifer named after her? The farmer said he had wondered if the name was copyrighted. If it is he can expect VB to come after some of that dosh. Hey people, let’s be careful out there.  😴💤😴

Sir Tom Moore is in hospital with Covid following treatment over the last few weeks for pneumonia. A statement from the medical staff said that he had been admitted due to breathing difficulties and needed help. He is being looked after in a ward and not in ICU. His family are with him. Get well soon, Sir Tom, I’m sure he is being well looked after by Bedford NHS.

Israel has said that following their very speedy vaccination programme there are signs that it is working in the over 60s. Far fewer people have tested positive and only 38 needed to be hospitalised. However this is based on people having received two doses of the vaccine within three weeks of each other. So in the UK we will have to wait and see if having a gap of 12 weeks will prove less effective – or more effective if we’re really lucky. I’m not feeling positive about this decision.

A Manchester company has developed an app. or ‘health passport’ to install on your phone which will confirm that you have been vaccinated against Covid. I can’t see this being very useful as it won’t take long for people to have what is called the VCode (a round barcode) even if they haven’t been vaccinated. This will be floating around the internet before you can even say VCode. The idea is that if you have this app to flash around you will be able to get into restaurants, clubs, bars and events. If it works as well as the Test & Trace App. we’re up a creek without a paddle.

We’ve had a lot of wet weather recently and in the Isle of Portland on Chesil Beach a team of volunteer coastguards went out to warn visitors away from the seal wall because the sea was becoming dangerous. A huge 30 ft wave came over the wall and unfortunately swept two of the volunteers 50 ft down to the main road. A third person was knocked into a stone wall and sustained serious leg injuries. The man was taken to hospital where an operation was carried out on his ankle. The volunteers were just doing their job, the visitors were doing what visitors do, ignoring the danger.

A long way away in California there was also a lot of rain, much needed as the report goes. The amount of water rushing down the hill and carrying debris managed to erode and wash away a huge section of Highway 1. That’d be scary. I’ve driven with Sandy down that coastal highway and it’s scary enough in bright sunshine. S bends all the way and a sheer drop to one side. I wouldn’t fancy it in a storm.

As you know I’ve been watching ‘Finding Alice’ on TV. I know lots of you have watched through to the end but I think I have one episode to go so no spoilers please. Not sure that it’s been worth the effort but I’ll report back tomorrow when I’ve seen it all. Now people, let’s be careful out there.😴💤😴